Posts tagged MOTOBLUR
Motorola’s Sanjay Jha Says MOTOBLUR Will Not Stick Around
Aug 9th
Good news comes from Motorola Co-CEO Sanjay Jha today, who claims that Motorola’s social-focused Android skin MOTOBLUR, will begin to be phased out of the company’s future handsets. While Motorola had the right idea with MOTOBLUR, the implementation is off and the skin mostly results in a slower and more jumbled Android experience.
Dr. Sanjay Jha was quoted saying the following:
With MOTOBLUR, we have found that being able to convey the value proposition around MOTOBLUR is not an easy thing to do in a 30-second ad spot. We have decided that we will focus on the value proposition of products and not MOTOBLUR as a brand name in its own right. MOTOBLUR continues to be important and I think you will see increased functionality in MOTOBLUR. This notion of push-Internet is going to be very important to us, but as a brand name, which we make matter in front of consumers as a brand name, I don’t think that’s going to be our focus going forward, but we see the experiences that we deliver is being relevant and differentiating us.
With Motorola’s recent move away from MOTOBLUR by implementing the skin found on the Droid X and the upcoming Droid 2, it seemed evident that MOTOBLUR’s life was running short. Now, if only we can get Motorola to drop the whole skinning thing and just give us some stock Froyo to work with. Baby steps people, baby steps.
[Android and Me via Engadget]
T-Mobile Motorola Charm Gets Real, Android 2.1 in a Small Package
Jul 7th
Do we really need a BlackBerry-like QWERTY Android handset? Does anyone really intend to do the type of mass communications on an Android device that they readily do on their BB? I suppose there is a certain market for it. And, considering the youthful name (charm bracelet OMG), I am not exactly T-Mo’s target demographic for this phone.
What we do know is this: it sports Android 2.1 on a 2.8″ touchscreen with an updated (and hopefully more useful) MOTOBLUR skin atop the vanilla Eclair experience. On the rear is a trackpad for scrolling, similar to the one found on the Backflip. It is a feature, while totally unnecessary for the enjoyment of the device, I found very useful. It aides in one-hand usability of the phone, and on a screen this small, will prove to be quite useful when scrolling through large swathes of text. Though I certainly wouldn’t want to read an eBook on this thing.
Other features include a 3MP camera, Adobe Flash Lite (read: not really Flash), and something called CrystalTalk PLUS, which is essentially a second microphone used for noise cancellation to enhance call volume and clarity.
The thing looks promising, if a little gimicky. I can’t imagine a lot of people over the age of 15 purchasing this, but T-Mo knows that, for back to school, at $0 on contract, it’ll be quite attractive to the Eclipse crowd.
Full press release after the break:
Libertyville, Ill. — July 7, 2024 —Motorola (NYSE: MOT) today announced the upcoming availability of Motorola CHARM™, a touch screen smartphone that packs a social networking punch with Android™ 2.1, MOTOBLURTM enhancements, a compact design and a BACKTRACK™ feature that makes screen navigation even more intuitive.
Motorola CHARM is expected to be available this summer exclusively in the U.S. for customers of T-Mobile USA, Inc.
“Motorola strives to provide an increased customizable user experience, which is enabled by our latest enhancements to MOTOBLUR and featured on the new Motorola CHARM,” said Jean Pierre Le Cannellier, vice president, Americas Marketing, Motorola Mobile Devices. “Combine that with a compact design, easy handling and all the features you would expect from a smartphone, and we believe that CHARM with MOTOBLUR adds the social ability and workability consumers are looking for.”
Motorola CHARM provides consumers all the features of a smartphone with the intuitive navigation of a 2.8 inch touch screen – all in a compact, pocketable design that makes messaging a snap using the combination of a full QWERTY keyboard and touch screen. The BACKTRACK navigation pad, located on the back of the smartphone directly behind the home screen, is similar to a laptop touch panel and enables an unobstructed view of the Web, texts, e-mails and news feeds. Plus, with Android 2.1 and enhanced MOTOBLUR features, CHARM offers new customization and filtering options.
“Being social with friends and family comes naturally for T-Mobile customers, and we think mobilizing their social experiences should be effortless,” said Saj Sahay, director of product management, T-Mobile USA. “With the new Motorola CHARM and enhancements to the Android and MOTOBLUR experience, we’re bringing more social skills to our broad portfolio of Android-powered smartphones.”
Motorola CHARM will be the first device in the U.S. to feature an enhanced version of MOTOBLUR built on Android 2.1, which syncs contacts, posts, messages, photos and much more in easy to manage streams — from sources such as Facebook®, MySpace, Twitter™, Gmail™, work and personal e-mail. MOTOBLUR now allows for even greater customization, providing users more options to follow who and what really matters.
MOTOBLUR filters can be selected from a single social networking account, contacts, group or messaging account so that users can select only the information they want to stream live to the Happenings and Messages widgets. Users can move and resize pre-loaded home screen widgets to personalize up to seven home screen panels for an even more custom experience. Lastly, consumers can manage their phone’s battery consumption by selecting different power modes to conserve battery.
Contacts in MOTOBLUR are automatically synced to the phone from personal and work e-mail and social network accounts. MOTOBLUR will continue to provide convenience and peace of mind, as lost devices can be located from a secure personal information portal and even remotely erased if necessary. In addition, one user name and password brings back contacts, messages and connectivity to previously configured networks and e-mail providers.
Last, but not least, Moto Phone Portal enables you to access and manage your phone’s data from any browser through a USB or Wi-Fi connection. Edit content and view important phone information while at home or on-the-go. Leave pictures on a friend’s PC, share a video at the local Internet café or share a presentation during an important business meeting.
Additional features on Motorola CHARM include:
- Adobe® Flash® enabled Web browsing experience to view most of today’s content-rich sites
- Full suite of Google™ services including: Google Search™, Google Maps™, Gmail™ and access to thousands of apps on Android Market™
- Pinch to zoom functionality and two-finger swipe to easily surf the Web and sort through photos
- Capture sharp photos with a 3MP camera and KODAK PERFECT TOUCH technology for better, brighter pictures
- One-touch social media uploads to Facebook®, MySpace, PicasaTM and PhotoBucket®
- CrystalTalkTM PLUS for enhanced audio and call quality with a second microphone for increased voice quality while filtering out background noise
- Corporate email pushed immediately to the device for instant inbox updates
Availability
Motorola CHARM with MOTOBLUR is expected to be available exclusively to T-Mobile USA customers this summer. For more information on Motorola CHARM with MOTOBLUR, please visithere.
Video Overview: Bell Motorola DEXT
May 27th
This phone has a lot of potential. It’s well-built and well-designed. Its hardware keyboard is usable, and even intuitive, and that’s saying something coming from the Milestone. Though it runs Android 1.5, what Moto has done with the MOTOBLUR skin is interesting: they have given people with limited time a way to view many snippets of information quickly. It’s a good messaging phone and a decent Android experience.
Let us know what you think!
Motorola QUENCH Available At Rogers: The MOTOBLUR Revolution Is Complete
May 18th
First it was the BACKFLIP on Telus; then the DEXT from Bell; now, Rogers has released its Social View phone, the QUENCH.
The phone, which we tried at the launch party for MOTOBLUR last month, was well received amongst journalists and fans, but in my opinion, was the least exciting of the three MOTOBLUR phones. It was the only one without a hardware keyboard, which does make it thinner than the other two devices, but adds very little to the repertoire in return.
One thing I do remember enjoying about the phone was the textured back of the phone, which made it very comfortable to grip with one hand.
At $49.99 on a three-year contract, this is a good contender for your son’s or girlfriend’s first Android phone, but, as I’ve said for all the MOTOBLUR devices, if you are any kind of technology enthusiast, or someone who wants to avoid using two year old technology, stay away from this phone. It runs Android 1.5 and its upgrade path is less than assured.
Check it out at Rogers.
Rogers To Launch the Motorola Quench Next Week? We’ve Got Pics!
May 12th
Finally, the Rogers lineup of Android smartphones is starting to make sense. With the MOTOBLUR launch party having come and gone and Telus recently releasing the Backflip, it seemed obvious that Rogers shed some light on their upcoming MOTOBLUR device, the QUENCH.
At the top, for $149.99, they have the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10. Even though it runs Android 1.6, its high-end hardware still earns it the big bucks.
Then it has the Acer Liquid E for $79.99, launching soon with Android 2.1 and very middle-of-the-road specs.
Finally in its Social View lineup there is the Motorola QUENCH, running MOTOBLUR on Android 1.5. That will launch at $49.99 on a three-year term (and $425 without a term). If you’re looking for a nice, cheap Android handset, this is a good one to get, though personally, I’d pony up $30 more for the Acer device.
How well will it do? As we know, Canada is still in the early adoption stages of Google’s Android operating system, but at this price point I can see it selling well to a teenage demographic. As for the Acer Liquid E, no official release date has been given, but expect it to be announced in the coming days.
[Via MobileSyrup]
Follow me on twitterMotorola DEXT Hits Bell May 14th, Is DECENT
May 4th
Bell Canada is launching their take on the Motorola MOTOBLUR revolution, and they may just be the lucky ones with the best phone of the three (the other two being the QUENCH and the BACKFLIP). Telus launched the BACKFLIP last week to little fanfare, and Rogers has included the QUENCH on their list of Social View phones, but I think it is the DEXT, with its slide-out landscape keyboard (which is actually usable, unlike the BACKFLIP) and its decent specs that is the big winner.
Apparently dummy units have already hit stores, so if you want to see what the fuss is about, take a look.
Look for the DEXT on Friday, May 14th for $99.95 on a three-year term, and $399.95 off-contract.
(via Mobile Syrup)
Bell Officially Prices the Motorola DEXT
Apr 29th
Bell hit us with another doozy this morning: they are undercutting Telus by $20 on their newest MOTOBLUR phone, the DEXT. Not a bad phone, and definitely preferred to the BACKFLIP, this phone will not knock anyone’s socks off, but is a good mid-range phone with a nice Motorola design.
Specs on this device include a 320×480 screen, a 5MP camera, 1 GB storage, 256MB RAM, 512MB ROM, Wi-Fi, GPS, and a slide-out landscape keyboard.
Will you purchase this phone? I found the keyboard to be the most usable of the three devices I tested from MOTOBLUR, but that isn’t saying much. It’s a bit fatter due to the keyboard, but it feels good in the hand. Not a bad phone, at all.
Follow me on twitterTelus Wants You To Buy A BACKFLIP, But You Shouldn’t
Apr 28th
It’s finally available! The wait is over, everyone can calm down now!
The Motorola BACKFLIP is available at Telus stores now for $99 on a 3-year activation with a voice/data plan of $50/month or more.
So, in other words, it’s not cheap.
Should you buy it? I think, no. For less money you can get a more powerful, better-equipped phone in the HTC Hero. And for $100 more (remember, you’re paying around $60/month, which is $720/year on this cell phone plan. You might as well have the phone you want) you can have the newly-Eclaired Motorola Milestone.
Other prices are:
2-year: $299.99
1-year: $349.99
no-contract: $399.99
Who should get this phone? Kids who would otherwise buy an iPhone but whose parents won’t fork out the $199 for a 3GS; those who want to keep in touch with their friends over social networks all the time; those who like the cool design but don’t realize how limited the phone is in other respects.
I’ve played with the BACKFLIP. Sure, I’m not their target demographic, but in my opinion, the phone leaves a lot to be desired. The keyboard is shallow and barely usable; it is extremely difficult to touch-type. The screen, while bright, was not remarkable. The features of the phone are attractive at first glance (5MP camera w/flash, WiFi, Android Marketplace, GPS, etc.) but there is one thing you should take into account when purchasing a MOTOBLUR device. These skins, like the HTC Sense UI, are proprietary software, and are unlikely to be updated for a long, long time. This means that you are essentially purchasing software, in Android 1.5, that is almost two years old. This is not acceptable in today’s market, and the more people who purchase these devices, the longer developers will have to create applications for older Android versions, often limited in their functionality, taking time away from the current versions of Android that can offer so much more.
So all-in-all, the MOTOBLUR series is fine. For teens, it’s probably quite nice and usable. But from a philosophical perspective, I would not recommend purchasing one of them.
Motorola claims their software will be updated to 2.1 later this year. I won’t hold my breath, especially considering how long it’s taken HTC to update their early 1.5 Sense UI devices like the Hero and Magic, to 2.1.
Just my 2 cents.
Check out the Telus BACKFLIP page for more info.
PS. Yes, I realize that the HTC Hero on Telus still hasn’t been updated to 2.1 either. But the phone itself is much, much faster than the BACKFLIP, and the Sense UI, even on 1.5, is way more intuitive and better-designed than the MOTOBLUR UI. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Motorola “Twist” Looking Real, Square
Apr 12th
So it’s the real deal. We didn’t report on the so-called Motorola Square when the pic was released (as it was supposedly a leaked image of a device given to a son of a Motorola employee) but now that we have some solid specs, I am willing to cater to this odd-looking device (especially after hearing about today’s Microsoft shenanigans). The “Twist” will run Android 2.1 with a new version of Motorola’s Blur skin on top.
A leaked spec sheet has shown the Twist rocking AT&T 3G bands (also compatible, then, with Rogers/Bell/Telus), a 700MHZ OMAP CPU (not very fast), 512MB ROM, 256MB RAM and a 3MP camera. Let’s see where this takes us, but honestly I wouldn’t be surprised if this is just the next iteration of Motorola’s Social Line, after recognizing that they can’t quite compete with HTC in the high-end Android phone market (or maybe that’s just my dream).(via Engadget)
Motorola Cliq XT Finally Coming To a T-Mobile Store Near You
Mar 15th
T-Mobile has finally caved and given a release date for the Motorola Cliq XT and all its MOTOBLUR(ry) goodness. Android Central is reporting that come March 17th customers should be able to pick it up for $99 on a 2-year term or $199 on a 1-year term. Not too bad of a price point for an Android-based phone. Being that its a more custom approach from Motorola, is anyone planning on picking it up? Let us know in the comments
For more info on the other new smartphones running MOTOBLUR, check here.
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